๐๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฆ, ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ถ๐. ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐-๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐.
The past two years have seen record breaking numbers of anti-Jewish incidents in the US, particularly on campuses. Yet, Jews have largely been silent over this facet of the hatred. There can only be two explanations for this apparent abandonment of Jewish youths to fend for themselves in the face of organized and often institutional Jew-hatred: not realizing the gravity of the situation, or fear that “making waves” will make matters worse.
Antisemitism on campuses did not begin this year. When I was on a speaking tour in the US in 2014, I spoke with Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, head of the AMCHA initiative to combat anti-Semitism in US colleges and universities. Although she was well aware of the deteriorating situation of Jewish students precisely because they are Jews, it was clear that she was unaware of how quickly things could deteriorate and to what extent.
Worse yet, when I mentioned this problem in a lecture I gave the following evening in Los Angeles, people left in protest. Now there is at least some understanding that not enough is being done, though there is no understanding what we can and should do about the problem.
The Jewish people are the people who gave the world such noble notions as loving others as yourself, and not doing to others what you would hate if it were done to you. We gave the world such values as mutual responsibility, mercy, and almsgiving. We did all this under the obligation we had taken upon ourselves at the foot of Mt. Sinai when we became a nation: to be “a light unto nations.”
Yet, for centuries, we have been plagued by internal hatred and division that have brought our nation to ruin. Divided, we cannot be the example of mutual responsibility and solidarity that the world expects of us. If we cannot show solidarity, the world cannot have solidarity, and division and hatred prevail. The result is that the world blames us for its wars. This is what is happening today.
Antisemitism on campus is a sore spot. It hurts us where we are most vulnerable: our children. Naturally, we tend to suppress it and pretend that it does not exist.
We should do the opposite. To neutralize antisemitism on campus, Jews, including Jewish students, should acknowledge the hatred and do what all Jews are required to do – unite with each other, no matter how far and how hateful we are to each other. They must do this not for themselves, but for their children, who will not see a relief in hatred toward them until American Jewry unites, and for America, whose society will continue to disintegrate until Jews lead by example toward unity.
If American Jewry rises to the challenge, it will not be the most despised community in the US, but the most venerated. I hope that American Jewry makes 2022 their year of unity. It will benefit them; it will benefit America; and it will benefit the world.
#antisemitismย #campusย #jewish
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